Childhood Accetpance and Friendship
by xXNikoletta BlackXx
Summary: Remus recounts his childhood friendships and how they survived, or more importantly, how they failed. Rated for Mature content later on.


Childhood Acceptance and Friendship

Childhood Acceptance and Friendship

By grimreaperprincess666

"Hello, my name is Remus Lupin. Have you ever noticed how you are more tolerant of people as a child? As you grow, you start to judge people in a way you do not want to be judged. You start to take your friends for granted and you look for reasons to go it alone. You start to see the difference in people's personalities and you start to see the change in your own personality. The reason for this may be your parents telling you who you are, or rather who they want you to be; or it may be the friends you choose. Whatever the reason for this change, you must realize who your true friends are. In fact, I have a little story to tell you. It is about how I came to find whom my true friends were and who was not."

_Scene fades to Johnny's car at a side road on the way to King's Cross Station._

Remus sat in his father's car humming along to the music. His father, Johnny Lupin, pulled the car to a stop and looked over at his son.

"Remus, I have something to give you. Your mother wouldn't approve, but she doesn't have to know, does she?"

Remus looked a bit confused then said, "You mean like when you give me cookies before dinner and let me stay up an extra hour to play chess with you on Saturdays?"

"Sort of; this is a little bit bigger than cookies and chess though." Johnny took a small velvet box out of his jacket pocket and handed it to his eleven year old son.

"Dad, I can't take this. It's Grandpa's watch you don't have anything else from him. You keep it!" Remus tried to force the small wrist watch back into his father's hands but failed.

"Son, it wasn't left for me. It's yours; I told you that a long time ago. I told you I would give it to you when you were older, remember?"

"I remember, but I don't know if I'm ready for this. What if he doesn't want me to have it? What if I disappoint him?" A stray tear fell from Remus' eye and he wiped it away furiously.

"Remus, he loved you. He left it with the hopes that you would keep it and in turn, keep him in your heart. I had a lifetime with him. You had but three years to be with him. Do you remember that time we went fishing and he held you because you were afraid of the boat tipping? He loved every second of it, because he knew that it wouldn't last long. If I tried to hug you now, I'd likely be shoved away and glared at." Johnny smiled weakly as he ruffled his son's hair. As Johnny said, but moments ago, Remus shoved his hand away and quickly looked to make sure no one saw the fatherly attention.

Before long Remus was standing with his father inside King's Cross Station, past the barrier and on platform 9 ¾. Remus looked around and saw other children, older mostly, hugging their mothers, fathers, little brothers, and sisters. Remus, being an only child with a very sickly mother, had only his father to bid farewell.

"Dad, you will write to me, won't you?" Remus asked as he looked up at his father.

"Of course lad, now off you go before the train leaves without you. I love you." Johnny answered as he hugged his son tightly.

Remus turned from his father, walked onto the train, and looked around for a moment before he was shoved by a tall greasy boy with a long crooked nose, which, by the looks of it, had been broken several times.

"Oi, you, beaky! What was that for?" Remus turned behind him to find another boy about three inches taller than him, yet not as tall as the first, with shoulder length black hair. He was a very good looking boy with an aristocratic air about him.

"He was in my way." The greasy boy said simply.

"So, you shove him again and you'll answer to the wrong end of my wand, you." The good looking boy said loudly as he pointed his wand at the greasy kid's neck. The oily boy rolled his eyes and walked off.

"You didn't have to do that. I could have handled it!" Remus said as his face turned blood red.

"Oh, well, you didn't look like you were going to say anything and I hate when people think they can just push over people smaller than them. I'm Black, Sirius Black." Sirius said and stuck a graceful hand out to Remus.

"Oh, I'm Remus Lupin. Thanks. Do you really know any hexes or spells? You aren't supposed to, but I tried a few and they've all worked for me." Remus extended his own hand and grasped Sirius' slightly larger one. They jerked slightly as the train started to move.

"Yeah, I know a few here and there. Let's find a compartment then, shall we?" Sirius asked as he raised his delicate black eyebrows and tossed his hair out of his eyes.

The two boys found an empty compartment after ten minutes of searching. They sat down across from each other and silence ensued. Then out of nowhere, a large boy erupted into the compartment door with a terrified look on his face.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Sirius asked as if the large boy had interrupted an important conversation.

"Let me hide in here!"

"From who?" Sirius asked quickly.

"Fabian and Gideon Prewitt are looking for me. They saw me talking to Molly and they got really pissed." The large fair-haired boy said stridently.

"Oh, please, go bore someone else with your sob story, Avery." Said a voice from the door. A small boy with untidy black hair and glasses that covered beautiful hazel eyes stepped into the compartment.

Avery looked beside him and grinned.

"Well, if it isn't little James Potter. Found a new pair of glasses have you?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you, you great goon. Now get out of here before I blast you with a bat boogey hex again. I'm quite sure you remember the last time, don't you?" James said nastily as Avery rushed to leave.

"How'd you do that? That was a fourth year." Remus said in a loud whisper.

"Easy, his mum and my dad used to date and he tore the Mickey out of my mum about it. She walked away and I hexed him when he went to leave. Been scared to death of me since. I'm James Potter. Who're you?"

Sirius looked up at James in awe.

"I'm Sirius Black and this here is Remus Lupin. Well, go on, sit down." Sirius said hospitably as he waved a hand to the seat next to him. James sat next to him and smiled at Remus.

"Remus can speak for himself, can't you mate?" James said in a critical manner.

Remus gave a noncommittal shrug as if to say, "I don't mind it. It's nice not to have to think about things sometimes."

"You're first years too, aren't you?" James asked after that, determined to start a decent discussion between the two boys. They seemed to be a bit ill at ease with each other.

Both of the other boys nodded.

"I hope I'm not in Slytherin. My whole family has been in Slytherin forever. What houses do you think you will be in?" Sirius asked Remus and James.

"I'm in Gryffindor for sure. My whole family has been in Gryffindor for as long as we can map out our ancestors." James said eagerly and proudly.

"Don't know what house I'm to be in. I honestly don't care. My father was in Gryffindor and my mum was in Ravenclaw. Either of those would be fine by me." Remus said monotonously.

The boys jumped as the door opened again and the trolley witch smiled warmly at them.

"Hello Dears, would you like anything from the trolley?" She looked at the boys as their faces were taken over with wide grins and they nodded energetically. They bought everything from Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to Caramel-Chocolate Frogs.

Chapter Two: We find out what happens when the boys arrive at Hogwarts and James meets a very special person with a mean Bat Bogey Hex!


End file.
